File.



PATEN-TED FEB.- 6, 1905.

J. P. HUBER.

FILE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906.

J R'HUBER.

FILE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7. 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

u I l I I I l I I l I J l l l I I l LnvezzZ07i 4 lZZameys.

UNITED erases arena orrion.

JOHN F. HUBER, OF LOCKPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HUBER ACCOUNT REGISTER COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

FILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6. 1906.

application filed A g st 7, 1905. Serial No. 273,113.

' provided with clips or devices for retaining the shps or papers thereon and a file-case or cabinet inwhich the book or leaves are held in upright position and are adapted to be turned down to display or afiord access to the various slips or papers.

. The objects of the invention are to I rovide sim le and inexpensive means for hol ing the fileeaves together, so constructed as to maintain the correct relation and position of the leaves and minimize the slidlng of the 'leaves upon each other in manipulating them, so as to prevent derangement of the slips or papers or the disengagement thereof from their retainin -clips, to provide simple means for releasably securing the leaves in the'case or cabinet, so that they can be readily removed from the latter when it is desired to put them in a place of safe-keeping or to carry them from place to place, and to improve files of this kind in the respects hereinafterpointed out, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a fileor holder embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional plan thereofin line 2 2, Fig. 1, showing the sliding shelf or rest in its outer position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the leaves removed from the cabinet. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, dctached, of the connecting means or binder for the book or file-leaves. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 1, but showing the sliding shelf pulled out and a portion of the leaves turned down. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary A sectional plan of the base of the case or cabinet. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of one of the file-leaves detached. Fig. 8 is a detail section of a connecting member of modified construction;

Like letters of reference refer tolike parts in the several figures.

A represents the leaves to which the sales or account slips or other papers (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7) are secured. The

leaves are provided with any suitable means for removably retaining the sli s or papers. thereon. For instance, each lea is furnished. with a plurality of clips 0,, each consistin of. a coiled spring-wire passing through the leaf and having a coil on each side thereof between which and the face of the leaf one or more slips or papers can be placed and removabl held by the spring actlon of the coil.

he leaves A and two cover-boards B, between which they are preferably arranged, are held in a suitable open-front case or cabinet, in which they stand on edge in a substantially upright position, being held therein in such manner that any or all of the leaves can be turned down from their upright position to a substantially horizontal position. The case or cabinet comprises a ase C, upright sides 1), between which the leaves are confined and :held from lateral movement, and an upri ht back E, against which the leaves bear W en in their upright position. The base preferably has an 1nclined deck or platform e for the leaves to stand upon and'which serves to hold them in an ascending series, so that the u per edge of each leaf projects up somewhat a ove the upper edge of the leaf next in front, thereby exposing the indeX-tabs e at the upper edges of the leaves and enabling them to be 'more readily manipulated. The surface of the platform e can be roughened or a rough-surfaced pad placed thereon to prevent the leaves from slipping down the incline. The case shown is provided with a sliding shelff beneath the leaf-platform e, which isada )ted to occupy a space beneath this leaf-plat orm when not in use and to be pulled out, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, to support the leaves in their horizontal position. A drawer G is also shown in the base of the cabinet; but this and the shelf are not essential to thefile and i too The

IIO

adapted to readily stretclror elongate and yield laterally from a straight line and to rep 'sume a normal straight condition. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 7 two coilsprings are em loyed arranged adjacent to the opposite si e edges of the leaves A and are attached at their op osite ends by cross bars or slats I I, which are secured to the front and rear portions of the cabinet. The slats are preferably detachably secured to the cabinet, so that the leaves, with connecting members, can be readily removed from the. cabinet when it is desired to put them in a place of safe kee ing or to carry them from place to place. 11 the construct1on shown the front slat I is engaged in a recessc in the front portion of the base of the cabinet beneath overhanging fingers 'i, while the rear slat I is engaged behind. pins. or the. like projectin u the leaf-fiat orm e. The sliding shelf is provided with a transverse slot 7c, Fig. 2, through which the front slat can be assed in attach ing it with and detaching it from the cabinet, and the shelf also has longitudinal slots 70, through which the connecting members pass and which permit the shelf to be moved in and out when the connecting members are secured in place. Instead of passing the connecting members through slots h in the leaves they could be otherwise slidably connected therewith. It is better, but not essential, to attach the connecting members H at both ends to the cabinet.

In using the file when it is desired to display the slips or paper on one of the leaves or to se.

cure a slip or paper thereon the leaf or leaves in front of the desired leaf are turned down to the position shown in Fig. 5, in which osition they are sup orted by the base 0 the cabinet or the sli in shelf when this is provided. If several 0 the leaves areturned down, as ecially when loaded with slips or papers, t ey will project some distance up above the platform, and in order to lie down fiat upon each other their lower ends must be free to lift off of the platform. The connecting members H on account of their elasticit and flexibility will stretch and bend upwardly between their ends, as shown in Fig. 5, thereby allowing such upward movement of the lower ends of the leaves and permitting them to lie flat upon each other. The flexible elastic connecting members also permit a considerable number of the leaves to be turned down simultaneously with but very little sliding movement upon one another, so that there is very little tendency to derange or displace the slips or papers on the leaves. While the connecting members are bent upwardly between their ends when a number of leaves are turned down, as above explained, the elongated slots h in the leaves allow the connecting members to rise in the upright leaves without lifting orinoving these latter, so that the upright leaves are not disturbed and will retain their correct relation and will not in pwardly from'the rear portion ofanywise derange the slips or papers carried thereby nor tend to slip downwardly on the several leaves into the proper position on the platform. .The leaves will not catch and bind at their lower edges, and they can be manipulated with great ease, and the entire surfaces or the leaves can be exposed, thus making it possible to examine the full length of all of the slipson a leaf without detaching the lowermost slips and also facilitating the insertion of the slips into the, clips and the removal of the same. As the leaves have the minimum sliding movement in turning them up and down and are always returned to the correct position by the elastic connecting members, they always present a neat regular appearance in the cabinet, and their indextabs are maintained in the proper relation,

' enabling the leaves to-be more easily operated.

It is not necessary to employ springs or elastic cords for the connecting members. For instance, the connecting member H (shown in Fig. 8) consists of an inelastic cord connected at one end to a take-up device,

such as a spring-drum H which permits the.

elongation of the member and acts to shorten it when the leaves are upright. i

The described detachable connection of the connecting members enables the leaves, with the connecting members, to be removed from the cabinet for placing in the safe or carrying them from place to place, and as the connecting members alone are removed with the leaves they are much lighter and occupy less space than they would if they were permanently attached to and had to be removed with some part of the cabinet.

The construction of a suitable cabinet for containing the leaves is shown and described herein; but the action of the leaves and connecting. members is not dependent upon a particular construction of the cabinet, and a cabinet or holder of any suitable form and construction may be employed.

While the invention is especially directed to files in which slips, papers, or analogous articles for reference are removably secured to the movable leaves, it will be understood that the described connecting means would also be useful for movably holding together leaves or the like for other purposes.

I claim as my invention-.

1. The combination of a holder, a series of movable leaves thereon, and one or more flexible extensible connecting members attached to said holder'and having sliding connections with said leaves, whereby the connecting member or members can move relative to said leaves in 'the direction of the planes thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a holder, a seris of slots in said leaves, whereby the connectin member or members can move relative to sm leaves in the direction of the planes thereof, substantially as set forth.

'3; -'The combination of a holder, a series of movable leaves thereon, and one or more flexible extensible connecting members detachably secured to said holder and having sliding connections with said leaves whereby the connecting member or members can move relative to said leaves in the direction of the planes thereof, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a holder, a series of movable leaves thereon, flexiiJ-le elastic connect-i members passing through elongated slots in said leaves, cross-bars attached to the opposite ends of said connectingmembers,

and means for detachably securing said crossbars to said holder, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a holder, a slotted sliding shelf therein, a series of movable leaves on said holder, and one or more flexible extensible connecting members attached to said holder and having sliding connections with said leaves, said connecting member or members passing through the slot or slots of said shelf, substantially as set forth.

Witness myhand this 27thday of July,

1905. r JOHN F. HUBER. Witnesses EDWARD C. HARD, A. L. MoGnE. 

